Do you talk to your dog? I do, but does he understand what you are saying?
There are many different ways we communicate with our dogs, we also find ourselves talking for our dogs, unless that is just me, but I don’t think so.
Do you walk through your house talking to a dog and wondering what they really understand? This has always had me wondering, they seem to understand but do they really and what exactly are they able to understand?
Most dogs are easy to train with a bit of patients and consistency. There are a lots of amazing things dogs have been taught to do that is out of their own natural instinct, improvement can be made on their behavior to be less natural and more like humans.
After all, dogs have been trained to hunt, lead the bling, play games, watch over cattle, bark on command, play dead and even watch TV.
But how do dogs understand their trainers?
We all know that dogs don’t speak English, in fact they do not speak any form of the human language, so how is it that they are able to do what we tell them?
Talking to a Dog – Establishing Communication Between You and Your Dog
Dogs truly do not understand the language we speak although they seem to recognize singular words and instructions given to them but communication with them is never effective by language alone.
The fact that they can learn what we ask of them such as sit, stay and down ensures us that somehow, they interpret our intentions and there is a means of communication that they understand.
We humans are the smarter specie, if dogs can understand us at least to a certain point, then we are capable of understanding them much better, although the level with which they respond to us is dependent on how properly the information is communicated to them.
Dog communication is a topic that many dog owners seek, who want effective communication with their dogs and should understand.
This fact has been established, communication is not all about talking, in fact human- human communication is only about 30% verbal and a large percentage of the rest is non-verbal that is gesture, facial expression, tone, pitch, demonstration, signs and body language.
Since dogs cannot talk or understand language, the non-verbal communication that many express when trying to pass information across to their dog is exactly what they comprehend.
The trick to effective dog communication now would be to put yourself in the position of dogs and try to relate with their level of comprehension, imagine you woke up one morning and you cannot speak or write, all you can do is make gestures with your body then, you might be able to achieve better communication with your dog.
Communication in order to be complete must be dialogue at least, your dog understands you and you understand him that’s how it should be, right?
You and your dog need to work together to establish communication; you’d both be happier and enjoy each other’s company if a proper communication system is established.
How can this be accomplished? it is best to Train your dog.
As said earlier, we often ‘talk to a dog’ when most of the dog’s understanding comes from your tone and gesture, non-verbal communication is the way for dogs understand the most and accounts for 90 percent of their comprehension of your intentions.
But do not make assumptions and jump into conclusions, although there are general expectations of dog body language when they are trying to express themselves, it is important that you understand your own dog.
Observing and Understanding Your Dog’s Body Language
We have established the fact that dogs are social animals and this means that their habits, movements and mannerisms can be understood if carefully and closely observed.
The uniqueness of each dog makes this process specific to every dog, at the same time we do not neglect the general expectations in their behavior.
It is good that you know that many of the signs that your dog communicate through will not be obvious if you do not pay attention to him.
These small signs usually show that they are unhappy or stressed and not noticing them can lead to them being hostile; meanwhile, feelings of happiness and energy are expressed radiantly and with a lot of enthusiasm.
Talking about general rules and expectations, dogs of the same breed are generally expected to have similar behavioral patterns of expressing themselves not that they all have similar responses in the same situation but that the way they express themselves through body language is similar.
- Know what your dog’s response to eye contact means
If you have tried this before, you may have noticed that dogs feel threatened when you look directly in their eyes.
Know and understand what your dog feels when you do this by how he responds to it.
If he looks away, it is usually that he is being polite and looking away means I don’t want to confront you because to them, direct eye contact in dogs means a challenge is taking place.
Of course, on another note, if you look into your dog’s eyes and they do not feel threatened, then you know you have established that bond with your dog, that will last forever.
- What does he do when he is in discomfort?
Dogs use a range of postures and signs to tell that they are in distress. Whining and unnecessary panting are usually sign of fear, sneezing and yawning, trying not to have eye contact and cowering shows that he is in discomfort.
The whites of their eyes, not always so obvious until they are distressed, they may have a stiff body and lick their lip constantly also.
Humping or mounting can be that he is stressed and there is usually a reason for it. To teach a dog to be comfortable with something he isn’t comfortable with, we find the use of treats and introducing him slowly to whatever it is does help. As soon as your dog finds that this is not a threat, he will want to do what made him uncomfortable so that he can get rewarded.
- Understand the signs of aggression
Many do not know when dogs are showing aggression signs until it is a little late and damage has been done or almost.
With all of our dogs, we are constantly on the lookout for aggressive behavior, it is best to always redirect before it gets out of hand.
For example, a dog may actually be smiling submissively or telling you he’s pissed at what you’re doing by showing his teeth but how do you tell the difference?
The regular signs of aggression you would see are barking, growling, snarling, lunging and an overall threatening behavior that tells he is ready to fight.
Funny thing is many times, dogs do not know what response to give in a weird situation (usually an unfamiliar one) so they naturally resort to being aggressive about it.
Note: when your dog is supposedly ‘smiling’ and shows his teeth with his head directed downwards without growling and his eyes telling that he is not threatened, usually not looking at you, then he is smiling submissively, don’t confuse this as an aggressive demonstration.
Your response to aggression is very important; you should know that if you try to pet him in order to calm him, then you are telling him that aggression is a good behavior. We don’t ever want to reward aggression, or it will make aggressive behavior worse.
- Tail Communication
Dogs express a lot of their feelings through their tails I’m sure you agree with this.
A wagging tail as we all know means pure and honest joy and excitement, there is no darkness in it at all however; a sharp even more slowly wagging tail may mean you should tread with caution and may be a sign of aggressive intention.
A tail held high and stiff is a sign that of full awareness and alertness, a low tail normally with a sway back and forth is most likely a sign that your dog is at ease. What about when their tail is between their legs? You know what that means, fear.
Verbal Communication With Dogs
It is very funny how humans think dogs actually understand them when they talk to a dog like “hey Tracker, I’ve told you many times not to do that, or why can you not stay out of trouble” and the only thing they understand is probably their name and the rest is a whole lot of jargon.
I do this all the time, I know I am totally guilty of talking to my dogs and just assuming they understand, even though I know it is not possible.
It is just as said earlier, verbal communication with dogs is much less than 10% of the communication as only certain commands that your dog has been taught is what they understand.
A survey showed that about 60% of dog owners use the dog’s name before a command like ‘Tracker NO!’, ‘Tracker Sit’. Yes, I know I am picking on Tracker, but he is the one normally in trouble around here.
The problem with this is that mentioning the dog’s name before the command sort of confuses them, normally we say the dog’s name when we want them to come to us, so they may be trying to understand how to come to you and sit at the same time. I know, I would be confused.
Many times, shouting and bellowing words at dogs when issuing commands is what many do, before you do that next time, remember his hearing is far more sensitive than yours and it is a bad way of communicating and it really doesn’t make them understand you any better. Their reaction is most likely always the same because they will respond to your tone and not the command.
They may even interpret this to barking loudly and join in, intensifying the situation, just frustrating you more.
What you want to do when teaching a dog to respond to a particular command is to get him to know what it means. How do you do that?
The most effective way is by consistent training methods, such as clicker training where you issue the command and then entice or put him in that position and then reward him for it with a click and a reward.
Rewarding them is very important when teaching them to understand verbal communication, punishment on the other hand is not advised as dogs cannot trace the punishment to the reason they are being punished.
This is why sticking their nose in their poop does not work well, they do not associate the act of pooping on the floor with why you have stuck their nose in it. Normally what works best in this situation is when you catch them in the act, tell them no and direct them outside.
The basic commands that can be taught this way includes commands like; no, off, leave it, drop, sit, down, or come. You can use other words to define what action you want them to take; however, they should be clear and precise and consistent.
My Thoughts on Talking to a Dog
Yes, we all talk to our dogs, I know I have complete conversation with my dogs. Do they understand? I would have to say, No.
Dogs do enjoy hearing your voice and even though they do not understand what you are saying to them they are still attentive listeners, so yes, we will continue to talk to them.
In conclusion, you should learn to read your dog’s posture as this is his most effective means of communication.
Try to identify when he is playful and being affectionate and differentiate it from when he is unhappy and in distress.
Frightened dogs also show sings and don’t forget to read warning signs of aggression. Don’t forget, their facial expression tells a lot, especially their eyes.
Try and understand what your dog bark means as they have different barks for different occasions. Growling and howling can also be understood, good luck.
As always thanks for helping to keep our dogs healthy, happy and well-adjusted.
We always love comments, let me know what you dog does to try to communicate with you or if you have any questions about talking to a dog.
I often tell people my older dog speaks English. If he is not fully understanding it at least seems like he is. I find this article very interesting. I can see it is likely my tone or body language when we communicate. I am alone most of the time because of my husband’s work schedule. My dogs and I have a constant conversation. I wonder if they think I am crazy for talking with them so much lol.
Thanks for leaving a comment! I too, spend a lot of time alone with the dogs and talking to them. I really don’t care if they understand or not, they are great listeners, regardless.
No, I am sure your dogs do not think you are crazy, I bet they love the attention. Dogs are very smart and they watch everything we do, so yes, sometimes it seems like they understand exactly what we are saying. I know many times I have rattled off a sentence at mine and they do exactly what I tell them, is it a word they pick up out of the sentence? I think the tone and the body language most definitely plays a big part in them understanding.
I always look forward to reading your posts because I know I’m going to learn something valuable and get a good perspective when it comes to how dog owners, or dog lovers, should interact with their fur friends. I really appreciate the broader point of not imposing your own assumptions on your dog. People like to think of their pets as little four-legged people. They give them pet names and try to treat them that way. However, this forgets the simple fact that they are animals and do not think the way human beings do.
Another good nugget was the talk on eye contact. I was especially interested in reading this because I know some dog trainers say you should maintain eye contact with your dog at all times to get them to do what you want. I am so glad that you explained how that is a more complex situation than it would appear–one has to consider, as you say, whether the dog considers it bonding or a challenge. Very informative, Dena. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for leaving a comment. We do like to think of our dogs as little four-legged people, and that is ok. I know mine are my children and I treat them as such; however, sometimes others may get annoyed by their dog’s actions because they just don’t realize that they do not understand what you are saying, no matter how hard they try. Yes they understand the consistent commands that you direct at them, but not a whole sentence. Many times, they just look at you and wag their tell to let you know they are listening, but that still does not mean they understand what you are telling them. It makes humans feel better though, especially if you are telling your dog your valued secrets.
It is always good to understand that your dog may be confused by what you are trying to convey to them so if they do not understand they may act in a way that is not what you are thinking, this does take understanding on your part and showing them through training how you want them to respond.
Understanding your dogs body language and knowing your dog is key to communication. I know one day I had a house full of people and I looked at Tracker and said there is something wrong, everyone else thought I was crazy, the others did not see what I was seeing, but it was just the look in his eyes and the difference in his body language. What we found is he had got punctured by a stick or something and was in pain, rushed him into the vet and they got him fixed up and back to normal. I was so glad I knew how to read my dogs body language that day.
What??? I am shaken. By the fact that my late doggy friend, Perdita, did not understand a word I said. The long chats I had with her. The quiet afternoons where I kept going on and on about my life then, and especially my hopes and dreams.
Hahaha. Just kidding.
Yes, I know she did not really understand a single word I said. But it was good to have a friend who listened and never judged me. Who always has a smile for me. And a warm hug (ok, I hugged her and she just pressed closer).
Thanks for this thoughtful article, Dena. I feel better knowing that I had a wonderful bond with my Perdita. We used to look into each other’s eyes for hours (ok, minutes but they felt like hours … haha)
And thanks again because your article helped me remember all the great times with her.
Thanks for such a great comment, I am still rolling on the floor laughing, you made my day. So glad I could remind you of great memories with your dog, we all need that sometimes.
We do like to believe that our dogs understand everything we are talking to them about and many times they act like they do. They are very attentive listeners most of the time and yes they do not judge… maybe that is because they really don’t understand what we are saying to them and their attentiveness is just a puzzled look trying to figure out what command we are trying to give them, either way as humans we can talk to them and they do listen most of the time. I know I will continue talking to my dogs, they are great company no matter if they understand my hopes and dreams or not.
Sounds like you had a great bond with Perdita! I feel that taking the time to bond with your dog is well worth it and you will find that you will have a much better relationship with your dog in the long run.
Thanks again for such a great comment!